Saturday, February 16, 2013

Buildings Returned to Catholic Church in Santiago de Cuba

The government of the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba will
return two church buildings and a parsonage facility to the Catholic
Church, reported the local archdiocese on its website.Caridad Reitor, the secretary of the People’s Power Provincial
Assembly in that province, informed the archbishop of Santiago, Dionisio
Garcia Ibañez, of the authority’s decision along with the authorization
to build a new temple.

One of returned the churches is St. Jose Obrero, which was used for
many years by the Academy of Sciences of the province. The other church
is San Benito, which had been converted into bakery.The parsonage house in Cuabitas “will be turned over once the current
school year is over, since it has operated as a small elementary school
up to now,” said the archbishop.

According to the Diario de Cuba, the authorities are unwilling
to return the El Cobre parish church to the Archdiocese. As part of a
major tourist attraction, the building is currently operated under the
Ministry of Internal Trade.

Several other former Catholic Church properties have been returned in
other provinces.

Likewise the church was allowed to build a modern new seminary on the outskirts of the capital.